blossom



No. 620,88l. v Patented Mar. I4, I899.

H. BLOSSOM. SADDLE FOR VELOCIPEDES (Applicatio'n filed Nov. 6, 1896.)

2 SheetsSheet I.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: :I 17 2 M M .zlttorney. I

No. 620,88l. Patented Mar. l4, I899.

. H. BLOSSOM.

SADDLE FDR VELOCIPEDES.

(Application filed Nov. 6, 1896.) (No Model.) 2 Shaets-8heef 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

HERBERT BLOSSOM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SADDLE FOR VELOCIPEDES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,881, dated March 14, 1899.

Application filed November 6, 1896. Serial No. 611,198. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT BLOSSOM, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, (Brooklyn,) Kings county, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saddles for Velocipedes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of saddles which may be distended laterally and in which the seat is supported on alaterally-arranged cushion-spring; and the object is to provide a saddle in which the seat may be inclined forward or back by a suitable adjustment, in which the seat may be distended or widened laterally by distention of the cantleframe, and in which the pommel or horn may be raised or lowered independently of any adjustment of the seat.

The construction hereinafter described provides a hammock-saddle with a comparatively flexible pommel and a relatively stiff cantle.

In the accompanying drawings,which illustrate embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a plan of the saddle provided with a seat pad or cushion. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Figs. at and 4 are views on a larger scale, illustrating the adjustable clip for securing the saddle to the arm of the seat-post of a bicycle. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view on a larger scale'than the principal views, illustrating the tension device at the extremity of the Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on line a in Fig. 1, illustrating the means for adjusting the elevation of the pommel. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section, and Fig.8 atransverse section, ofa saddle differing in some of its details from that shown in the principal views.

I will first describe the form of the .saddle illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6. 1 is the cantleframe, which may be of wood, bent to somewhat the form of the letter W when seen in plan and made thinnest by preference at the incurved middle portion. Over this frame is stretched and secured a flexible cover 2, preferably of leather and shaped so as to cover the seat A and extend out to the front the desired length to form the pommel or front projection B of the saddle. A flexible wire cord 3 is-secured in the front edge of the cover 2,

about a sheave-stud 4 on a plate 5, supported on the front end of a longitudinally-extending spring 6. As seen in the principal views, the spring 6 is formed by bending a piece of stiff wire upon itself, the rear extremities of which are attached, as will be hereinafter explained, to the cantle-frame 1 and the front ends guided in flanged keepers on the plate 5. The bend or bight of the spring 6 is bent downward at the front end, and a tensionscrew 7 extends rearwardly through said bight and an interposed bearing-plate 8 and screws into a pendent lug 5 on the plate 5. The purpose of this device is to produce longitudinal tension of the cover 2.

Under the cantle of the saddle the spring 6 is attached to the frame, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 6. The two branches of the spring are bent upward at an angle to the main portion and at the bends therein engage keepers or recesses formed in the projecting flange on a hinge-plate 9, secured to the frame 1. In the ends of the upwardly-extending branches of the spring are formed eyes 6 through which pass screws 10,thatscrew into the frame 1. The purpose of this is to raise orlower the front end of the spring 6, and with it the pomel B, by driving in or drawing out the screws 10 more or less, and thereby causing the spring to turn about its bearings in the hinge-plate 9.

The saddle, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, has a seat pad or cushion 11, made of some soft material as feltfor example, and covered with leather 12 or other similar material that is strong and flexible. This seat-pad is, as here shown, cut away at a, and it extends out over the pommel; but these features are not essential to my invention.

The saddle proper, as described, is mounted which extends transversely and has its upturned arms secured adj ustably to the sides of the cant-le-frame 1 near their ends. As

herein shown, the ends of the spring 13 engage'keepers 14 14 on the respective sides of the cantle-frame, and set-screws 15 in the keepers hold them firmly but adjustably therein. However, other devices may be emon a stiff bow-shaped supporting-spring 13,

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ployed to secure the saddle to its supportingspring.

I will now describe the clip by which the supporting-spring 13 is secured to the arm X of the saddle-post or seat-post of the bicycle, referring especially to Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 4 for illustration.

Embracing the arm X from below is a U- shaped stirrup 16, provided at its under side with a set-screw 17 to bear on the arm X. The flattened branches of this stirrup have each an aperture, through which the spring 13 is passed, the lower face of the latter resting on the back of a block or key-piece 18, which occupies the space between the branches of the stirrup 16 and rests on the arm X. By driving in the screw 17 the spring 13 is firmly clamped between the bars lo on the branches of the stirrup 16 and the key-piece 18, the latter being thus pressed down firmly on the arm of the seat-post.

So far as described the clip is adapted to secure the saddle firmly to the arm of the seat-post and also to'allow of the saddle being shifted longitudinally along said arm; but in order to permit the saddle to be tilted or rocked so as to elevate or lower the cantle (an important adjustment for saddles of this class) the lower faces of the bars 16 are each furnished with a protuberance or rounded bearing-point 16 in Figs. 4 and 4, which bears upon the upper face of the spring 13 at the middle of its width, while the key-piece 18 has on its upper face two inclined bearingfaces 18 on which the spring 13 rests at its respective edges. By driving the key-piece along the arm X the spring 13 may be tilted laterally, so as to tilt the saddle either to the front or rear, as desired. This adjustment is clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 4.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated in one embodiment of the saddle several slight departu res from the construction which has just been described. In these views the cantleframe 1 is represented as it would be if made from metal instead of wood, and the seat-pads are omitted. The supporting-spring is represented as composed of two overlapping leaves or plates instead of as in one piece. In this construction also the longitudinal distendingspring 6 is represented as made of flat steel instead of wire, and means differing somewhat from that before described are employed for elevating and lowering its front end. In Fig. 7 a bracket 19 is secured to the rear part of the cantle-frame, and the end of the spring 6' engages a keeper 19 therein. A screw 20, driven upward in the bracket, projects downwardly through the spring 6, and the latter is embraced between a collar 20 formed on the body of the screw, and a nut 21 on the threaded body of the screw below the spring. 13y screwing the screw in or out the spring may be raised or lowered, the nut 21 being screwed up so as to clamp upon it.

I11 distending the saddle laterally the sides or branches of the cantle-frame are pressed outwardly by the flexure of the frame and then clamped to the ends of the supportingspring 13, which is quite stiff and is only designed to cushion the rider against jars produced in riding over rough ground. When the saddle is tilted so as to incline forward, the pommel B may be elevated to the desired angle by the means described. The wire cord 3 provides a yielding contour to the front part of the saddle and permits of the lateral distention of the seat portion A within the necessary limits.

The ordinary molded bicycle-saddle with longitudinal distention holdsits form mainly through the stiffness of the leather and conforms imperfectly to the rider, and owing to its construction the middle longitudinal line is the highest, which is apt to cause injurious pressure on tender parts. On the other hand, the cushioned saddle or seatcannot conform to the rider and lacks the features which produce a firm seat when riding on rough roads.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a comfortable and firm seat which becomes transversely concave under the riders weight owing to the transverse tension, thus preventing any harmful pressure on or distention of the parts in contact with it, and which by reason of the independent adjustment of the pommel may be adapted to the comfort of every rider.

I am well aware that transverse spring-tension on the fabric of a seat is not new and that a pommel adapted to be depressed by spring-flexure when pressure is applied thereon is not new. What I employ is adjustable means for laterally distending the seat independently of the riders weight and also ad-.

justable means for setting the pommel lower or higher at will independently of springflexure.

I may say here that the plate 5 and the stud 4 or other part engaged by the cord 3 or cover 2 forms a nose for the pommel of the saddle. If the pads be omitted from the seat, the cord 3 might also be omitted and good results be attained. stud 4 would be in some manner secured to the cover 2, so as to distend the same longitudinally of the saddle.

It will be understood from the above that the leading feature of my invention is to obtain lateral distention of the saddle, whereby the flexible cover maybe distended when it has become slack from use and avoid the formation of a longitudinal ridge in the seat.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A saddle for a veloeipede having a laterally-distensible, curved cantle-fram e, a transverse, curved supporting-spring secured adj ustably at its ends only to the forwardly-extending branches of the cantle, whereby the cantle may be distended laterally, and a cover of flexible material over said cantle, substantially as set forth.

2. In a saddle, the combination with the lat- In such a construction the erally-distensible, curved cantle-frame, the curved, transverselyarranged supportingsp'ring secured adj ustably to the respective branches of the cantle-frame, a cover of fiexi ble material extending over and attached to said frame and also extending out to form a pommel, adjustable means substantially as described for straining the seat and pommel longitudinally and adjustable means for elevating and depressing the pommel independently of the seat portion of the saddle.

3. In a saddle, the combination with the curved cantle-frame, the curved and transversely-arranged supporting-spring on which said frame is mounted, and the cover 2, secured on the frame and extending out to form a pommel, of the wire cord 3 in the front edge of said cover, the pommel nose or plate 5,with which the bight of the said cord 3 engages, the spring 6, carrying the nose 5 at its front end and pivotally connected to the cantleframe at its rear end, and means substantially as described for elevating and depressing the front end of said spring 6.

4. In a saddle, the combination with the cantle-frame, the transversely-arranged supporting-spring under the same, and the cover 2, on the frame, of the'plate 5 provided with a stud 4, the cord 3 in the free, front edge of the cover 2, its bight engaging the stud 4, the spring 6, on the front end of which the plate 5 is mounted, said spring being connected with the cantle-frame at its rear end, means for adjusting the plate 5 along the spring 6, and means for elevating and depressing the front end of said spring.

5. The combination in a saddle of a curved and laterallydistensible cantle frame, a transversely-arranged supporting-spring on which said frame is mounted adjustably, a cover stretched over said frame and distensible laterally therewith, and means substantially as described for distending said cover in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the saddle.

6. The combination in a saddle, of a seat, a transversely arranged supporting spring therefor, and a clip device for securing said spring to the seat-post, said clip device comprising a stirrup 16, provided with a screw 17, and with apertured branches each having a bar with a projection 16 to bear on the supporting-spring, and a block or key-piece, 18, adapted to occupy the space between the branches of the stirrup and between the supporting-spring and the seat-post, said block having two inclined bearing-faces, 18 to support the respective edges of the spring.

7. A saddle for a velocipede having a supporting-spring for the seat,a frame for the seat having two forwardly-extending branches, a cover of flexible material on said frame, and means for distendin g the said frame and cover laterally when it becomes slackened.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HERBERT BLOSSOM.

Witnesses:

PETER A. Boss, HENRY CONNETT. 

